素材来源：每日邮报 翻译：世界播
A retired couple who won $26 million playing state lotteries by using simple arithmetic could have a Hollywood movie made of their incredible story.
一对退休夫妇通过用简单的算法赢得了2600万美元的彩票，他们的故事可能会被拍成好莱坞电影。
Jerry and Marge Selbee made millions winning various state lottery games over six years and helped others in their home town of Evart, Michigan, beat the system.
杰里•塞尔比和玛吉•塞尔比在过去六年里赢得了数百万美元的各种彩票，并帮助他们家乡密歇根州埃瓦特镇的其他人抓住了这个漏洞。
The pair sold the convenience store they had run for 17 years in 2003, when Mr Selbee made the discovery that changed their lives.
2003年，塞尔比先生的惊人发现改变了他们的生活，这对夫妇卖掉了经营了17年的便利店。
He has a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Western Michigan University and when he saw a brochure for a new lottery called Winfall, he realized within minutes how to beat the odds.
他拥有西密歇根大学的数学学士学位。当他看到一本名为“Winfall”的新彩票宣传册时，他在几分钟内就意识到如何破解。
The unique feature he cracked was the 'roll down', which was when no one won the $5 million jackpot and the money was then spread across those who matched five, four and three numbers.
他破解的独特之处在于利用“roll down”周期，即没有人赢得500万美元的头奖，然后将奖金分配给匹配5、4和3个数字的人。
Lottery bosses announced when this was happening and it meant Jerry knew when to buy thousands of tickets, working out he would get a certain amount of five, four and three matches if he bought enough tickets.
彩票公司的老板们宣布启动这一周期时，杰里就知道要买成千上万张彩票，并计算出如果他买到足够多的彩票，他将得到一定数量的5个、4个和3个数字匹配的彩票。
Explaining how he first came up with the scheme, Mr Selbee said he worked out that if he played $1,100 worth of tickets, he would have one four-number winner, which would give him a $1,000 return.
在解释他最初是如何想出这个计划的时候，塞尔比先生说，他计算出，如果他买了价值1100美元的彩票，他就会有一张4个数字匹配的中奖彩票，这将给他带来1000美元的回报。
He would also have either 18 or 19 three-number winners, which would pay out $50 each, leaving him with a $1,900 return.
他还会有18或19张3个数字匹配的中奖彩票，每张将得到50美元，这样他就能得到1900美元的回报。
His first attempt at cracking the code saw him double his money, firstly buying $3,600 of Winfall tickets and getting back $6,300.
他第一次尝试破解这个密码时，他的钱翻了一番，先是买了3600美元的Winfall彩票，然后拿回了6300美元。
Mr Selbee then bought $8,000 at the next 'roll down' and nearly doubled that amount again.
随后，塞尔比在下一周期“roll down”中买了8000美元彩票，赢回的钱几乎翻了一番。
After telling his shocked wife about the winnings, Jerry and Marge started playing for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
杰里把赢钱的事告诉震惊的妻子玛吉后，他们开始买几十万美元的彩票。
Mr Selbee, who used to work for Kellogg's in Battle Creek, Michigan, where he designed boxes to increase the shelf life of freeze-dried foods and cereals, then set up a corporation called G.S. Investment Strategies and invited family and friends to buy shares for $500 each.
塞尔比曾在密歇根州巴特尔克里克的家乐氏公司工作，他在那里设计盒子，以延长冻干食品和谷物的保质期。后来，他成立了一家名为G.S. Investment Strategies的公司，邀请家人和朋友以每股500美元的价格购买股票。
When the Michigan game was closed down for 'lack of sales', the couple set their sights on a Massachusetts game, around 900 miles away.
当密歇根州的彩票因“销量不足”而停售时，这对夫妇把目光投向了900英里外马萨诸塞州的彩票游戏。
For six years, Selbee's group, which was made u-p of around 25 members, and a few others dominated Cash WinFall during 'rolldown weeks' when prizes swell to five to 10 times the normal amount.
六年来，当“rolldown周期”奖金涨到正常数额的5到10倍时，塞尔比团队和其他一些人占据了大部分的Cash WinFall彩票奖金。
The couple would sit in a Red Roof Inn, sorting through the tickets by hand for 10 hours a day for 10 days in a row, putting over $600,000 on per play, seven times a year.
这对夫妇会坐在红屋顶客栈里，连续10天每天花10个小时手工整理彩票，每次买彩票花费60多万美元，一年七次。
The Selbee's kept all the losing tickets, which amounted to around 18 million, in 65 plastic buckets in their barn.
塞尔比把所有输掉的彩票装在谷仓的65个塑料桶里，总计约1800万美元。
Mr Selbee told CBS News: 'It is actually just basic arithmetic. It gave you the satisfaction of being successful at something that was worthwhile to not only us personally but to our friends and our family.
塞尔比先生告诉CBS新闻：“这实际上只是基本的算术。它给了你成功的满足感，这不仅对我们个人，而且对我们的朋友和家人都是有价值的。”
'The only thing I found really remarkable is nobody else really seemed to grasp it.'
“我发现唯一值得注意的是，似乎其他人都没真正掌握这一诀窍。”
Their remarkable story came to light in 2011 when the Boston Globe got a tip that Cash Winfall tickets were being sold at an extraordinary volume.
2011年，《波士顿环球报》得到消息称，Cash Winfall彩票销售异常火爆，这段不寻常的故事由此曝光。
The newspaper found the Selbees and a group of math major students from MIT were dominating the game.
该报发现，塞尔比一家和一群来自麻省理工学院数学系的学生主导了这场游戏。
Between $17 and $18 million was bet by the MIT syndicate over a seven-year period, earning at least $3.5 million in profits.
麻省理工学院的这支队伍在7年的时间里押注1700万至1800万美元，获利至少350万美元。
As a result the Massachusetts state treasurer shut down the Cash Winfall game and called for an investigation, with fears the game was rigged.
结果，因为担心游戏被操纵，马萨诸塞州财政部长关闭了Cash Winfall彩票，并要求进行调查。
But the investigation found none of the odds of winning were affected by the high-volume of betting.
但调查发现，高投注量并不影响中奖几率。
Their corporation made a total of $26 million and the Selbees came away with nearly $8 million profit before taxes.
他们公司总共赚了2600万美元，而塞尔比夫妇税前利润接近800万美元。
The Selbees used the money to renovate their home and help their six children, 14 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren pay for education.
塞尔比夫妇俩用这笔钱装修了他们的房子，并帮助他们的6个孩子、14个孙子和10个曾孙支付教育费用。
Now they have sold the right to movie producers who intend to make a film about their lives.
现在他们已经把版权卖给了电影制片人，这些制片人打算把他们的故事拍成电影。
